Your donation can change someone's life

You might think about charity as something you do with the extra change you find lying around, or by supporting a friend running in a local race. That's how we used to feel – until we learned how much even a modest amount of charity can accomplish when given to the right organizations.

It's common for charities to make big promises, and in most cases they can't deliver. But after researching hundreds of charities and the programs they carry out, we've found a few that can truly demonstrate impact - and with these charities, your donation can make a real difference. For example:

The Against Malaria Foundation. Malaria is a major problem in sub-Saharan Africa. Over 1 million people -- mostly children -- die each year. Insecticide-treated bed nets prevent deaths and many other non-fatal cases of malaria and are relatively inexpensive -- about $5 per net. We believe that AMF effectively expands access to bed nets. For our detailed analysis, see our full review of AMF.

GiveDirectly. GiveDirectly provides cash grants to extremely poor households in rural Kenya (and is planning to expand to other countries). Cash transfers lead recipients to spend more on their basic needs (such as food) and may allow recipients to make investments with very high returns. GiveDirectly has demonstrated a strong commitment to transparency and self-evaluation. For every $1 that GiveDirectly receives $0.90 is delivered to the households it targets. For our detailed analysis and investigation, see our full review of GiveDirectly.

Schistosomiasis Control Initiative (SCI). SCI supports programs that treat people for parasitic worm infections that cause short-term symptoms such as anemia, and may cause longer-term developmental problems. These worms are extremely inexpensive to treat. For our detailed analysis and investigation, see our full review of SCI.

Deworm the World Initiative (DtWI), led by Evidence Action. DtWI supports programs that treat people for parasitic worm infections that cause short-term symptoms such as anemia, and may cause longer-term developmental problems. These worms are extremely inexpensive to treat. DtWI focuses on advocacy and technical assistance to governments providing deworming, and we believe that it cost-effectively increases the number of children receiving deworming treatment. For our detailed analysis and investigation, see our full review of DtWI.